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Welfare Problems
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Welfare Problems
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Welfare Problems
Current price: $13.99
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"I guess you wanna see the look on my face when you smash it,"
mouthpiece
sneers on
The
/
-style
is only one of the high points on the Swedish quartet's seventh full-length,
, an album that finds
's ideology undiluted by the addition of buzzing guitar hooks and shoutable choruses to its
roots. Together with drummer
, guitarist
, and bassist
,
pogos his way through a set establishing
as another band from the land of the midnight sun that gleefully soaks its
with influences as disparate as 1950s
(the barroom piano of
the scrappy
bitching of the title track) and sugary 1970s arena anthems (the fabulous
hits up the chorus of
and intersects it with "Oi! Oi! Oi!"'s and cooing female backing vocals). This all builds some extremely entertaining platforms for
's staunchly socialist stumping. On the album opener,
the band lays out its plan for a government-center takeover that'll be accompanied by the sound of ringing guitars. While kids throw bricks and burn tires,
re-imagines
's classic celebration of youth as a political rallying cry. "I hope I'm dead before I'm old," he screams. "Honey, you and I have been bought and sold."
While its 12 songs go by pretty fast, and some glimpses into the past aren't as successful as others (
's channeling of
is a little trite), producer
(
) accentuates each song with touches of fuzz and a perfect mix of lead and supporting vocals. The dubbed crowd noise in
is a particularly nice touch, giving its chorus a plaintive feel that's a relief from the band's normal hard-driving sneer. But if you think this latter track is setting up a feel-good ending to
, think again. After a whispered intro, the album-closing
peels out of a dark alley with sparks flying and guns blaring. "I'm f*cking pissed man,"
begins, and proceeds to tear off another hunk of authority's flesh over the din of his band.
may want the kids to rise up, but the band knows that shouting and dancing come first. ~ Johnny Loftus